I received a gifted copy of DRAW DOWN THE MOON by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast from Wednesday Books and Netgalley.

DRAW DOWN THE MOON is the first book in a new YA series, Moonstruck. The book follows two teens in a magical world. Wren Nightingale is just turning eighteen as the book opens. She’s lived with the knowledge that she is a Mundane borne to two magickal parents. Since her parents’ death, she has lived with her fellow Mundane uncle with the knowledge that her magickal friends will one day go on to do special things while she lives the life of a normal human.

Lee Young has been Wren’s best friend for years, even after he and his family moved away. Now he is back to spend the summer at a magickal school where his family expects him to flourish and impress given their family’s importance. When Wren shockingly begins to show impressive signs of powers on her birthday, Lee is the one there to witness it and walk her through what it may mean. When they arrive at the school, however, it seems there are secrets being kept about Wren’s powers and the school’s dangerous history.

This book had a lot of positive elements to it and I enjoyed learning about the magic and the mysteries of the setting. That said, it read on the very young side of YA to me when it came to the relationships. Wren and Lee are friends, both wanting more, but there’s a lot of failure to communicate. For my personal preference, there was a bit too much relationship angst in comparison to the trials and magic that I wanted to focus on.

In the end, I think this book was probably just not quite the right fit for me personally, while it definitely will find it’s younger audience. The end does come with a big cliffhanger, so I would be curious to see where the next book in the series takes things!

This book was just meh. It had no shining moments was just dull over all. The relationships felt hollow.

Rating this at 3 stars solely because something is required, I will be DNF this book and it doesn't feel fair or true to rate it with my current impression.

I'm about a quarter of the way into this book, and I cannot get past the immature, tropey, pick-me style tone. Every time the MC talks, all I can hear are the comedy social media accounts making fun of "random girls" or "pick-me girls"... it's just not for me.

The categorization of Young Adult feels very generous, and I do agree with others that this would be better aimed at Middle Grade beginner Fantasy readers.

The magic system is really neat! I tried so hard to get past the dialogue so I could learn more, unfortunately it's not going to happen.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

I am in love with this new version of moon magic PC Cast is writing! I could not stop reading from the moment I started. I want to see it in film!!! I want the next book -what torture to have to wait. The characters are charismatic. The story line is the perfect balance of solving a mystery and preparing to save the world! Wren is spectacular!!! The way the author looks at the characters and introduces them is well done. Read it!!!

I’ll be honest, I was drawn into this one mostly because of its whimsical cover! And then I read the description which focuses on a magical school and academia, and I knew this was one I’d like to check out. I haven’t read anything by either of these authors before either, so I went in with very few expectations. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work for me.

But let’s start with some of the pros first, as always. I really enjoyed the magical school and the fantasy components of this world. The idea of characters gaining certain powers based on the lunar cycle is very intriguing and not something I’d come across before. I also liked that the concept, while new feeling, wasn’t overly complicated, but felt approachable, especially for younger readers. And this is where part of my problems come in, I believe. When stepping back from my reading experience, I would say much of the reason I didn’t enjoy this one was because it seems to be the type of book best suited towards one fairly specific audience: middle school to young teen readers who are fairly unfamiliar to the fantasy genre and its conventions. For these readers, much of what is being done here may hold more interest, but for older readers, or those who read a lot of fantasy, much of it feels standard to the point of banality.

Further, this book is a perfect example of the YA “genre” being a bit to broad, or perhaps the marketers/publishers getting it wrong when promoting this book. The characters are meant to be 18, but throughout the entire story they read much, much younger. This shows itself in the dialogue, but even more so in the rather simplistic approaches to life that they incorporate, as well as some of the more ridiculous decisions they make. I believe even older teenagers would struggle to really connect to these characters without growing quickly frustrated by their storylines, let alone the many adult readers of YA fantasy fiction.

As far as fantasy concepts go, the story also follows a fairly tried and true “chosen one” plot line, very rarely veering into any territory that truly feels original. And, again, while I think the simplicity of the magic system can also be a pro, it can work against the story as well, coming across as overly basic at times, with very little room for growth, depth, or context. The romance, too, struggles in much the same way. There is nothing overtly wrong with this aspect of the story, but it never felt like it was ever taking any risks or swerving in any way that might surprise readers.

Ultimately, this book could be a success for younger readers looking for an entry point into fantasy fiction. But older readers, even just older teens, and those well-versed in fantasy stories will likely find themselves bored for much of this read and would do better to look elsewhere. For these readers, I’d likely rate this a 6, but I’ll bump it up since so much of this rating comes down to this disconnect between reader and book, more so than any distinct failures on the book’s part.

Rating 7: Perhaps a story that will work for middle grade readers looking to first dip their toes into fantasy fiction, but there’s not enough in this book to truly appeal to general fantasy readers.

(Link will go live April 19 on The Library Ladies)

Thank you to the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Unfortunately, I’m going to have to shelf this book for later. I overloaded myself and was unable to get to it when I needed to. The premise sounds amazing and I love the art for the cover so much. I also haven’t read this author before, so I’m excited to get to it when I can. Thank you again for the opportunity!

This was a DNF for me. It is set for a much younger audience than young adult. The language is very juvenile and much more suited for a middle school audience.

This book just wasn’t for me. I think the main issue is that it’s very YA and I’m realizing I’m not the audience for YA writing anymore. But also the writing style is very heavy-handed. The author tells you everything: how everyone is feeling, how they act, how they want people to feel, etc. rather than letting the audience make their own assumptions. It feels like the author is talking at me rather then telling a a story and it just didn’t work for me.

I feel as though this book was mislabeled - it should have been a middle grades versus ya. Even though they were 18, they didn't read that age

What an enchanting tale of magic and mystery. I was pleasantly surprised with how immersed I was in this story.
Wren is our FMC, who her whole life believed she was Mundane and without Magik. Until her 18th birthday where she is Moonstruck and everything changes. The magic is moon based with zodiac sign powers. She will now attend Academia de la Luna, a school for the Moonstruck.
Lee is our MMC and Wren’s best friend. He has known he was Moonstruck since a young age and has a goal to strive at the trials at school and be on the Moon Council.
On this adventure of magic and mystery they discover secrets that are far more dangerous than they realized.
This is a great start to the series and definitely more on the YA side. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Being a fan of these authors for almost two decades they have yet to disappoint! Coming into power is one of my absolute favorite tropes to read and expose and it felt like we got to explore this with Wren + the sub romantic plot line along with deception and trials and fear of failing absolutely loved this book

I absolutely LOVED P.C and Kristin Cast growing up. The House of Night Series was my absolute FAVORITE series growing up. I loved everything about it. I was hoping that same level of excitement would carry into Draw Down the Moon but unfortunately it did not hit me with the same level of love and appreciation. While in no way was this book bad, it just fell a little flat for me. I felt like I was drawn in immediately at the beginning but it hit a huge lull for me in the middle and got a little better in the end. This book is advertised as a YA novel but it felt younger than that? While the story wasn't for me, I can see why so many will appreciate this one. It's got a great premise!

Huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Wednesday Books for the incredible opportunity to read Draw Down the Moon.

Whew. Sadly, this one wasn't for me. Despite the Young Adult designation, the writing in here is either verrrryyyyy young adult or even middle grade. I don't think that the writing/internal dialogue of the characters matched their supposed ages — it was extremely young. I am clearly not the target audience for this book, but I think it could be great if the characters were either aged down or the writing aged up. Love the premise! Just a mismatch on genre/audience, in my opinion. Cover art is stunning.

I want to start off that I was not the target audience for this book. It has a very cool story line and I would have loved it but there is to many pop culture references to try and make it feel current that it just threw me off in the story. Yes, I understand they are 18 yrs old and teenagers does there need to be a bunch of things about Disney or pride and prejudice no a few references okay but it's an ongoing thing and it turns me off when it's fantasy/paranormal books. The characters are cute the blooming romance between the 2 main characters is very nice. The moon magic system is sound and very cool to understand. I would target this book for those under 20.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for the opportunity to read this book. This is my honest opinion of it.

The age of the characters doesn’t fit the internal dialogue.

I’ve been questioning what young adult really is recently. I think this book should be on the panel of examples.

The one thing I love about this book though is the moon and how it’s not just a form of power but has its own persona.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Wren has known about magick for her entire life, and she is prepared for her best friends to attend the Academia de la Luna during the summer after their eighteenth birthdays. What she is not prepared for is the fact that instead of being a Mundane as she has always thought, she becomes Moonstruck at the last possible moment and finds herself joining her friends at the fabled Moon Isle, as well. But something is different about Wren and she must survive the challenging trials set before her while trying to determine not only her place in the greater world, but her role in her own life, as well.

This fantasy adventure has a foundation in the real world while incorporating magick and wonder on top of it. Told from the alternating perspectives of Wren and her best friend Lee, the narrative grants readers access into the minds of the protagonists as they each speak in the first person. By writing in this way, the dramatic tension increases as readers know more about the story than either character does on their own. A slow-burning romance simmers between Wren and Lee, and while the pacing can be frustrating, the ultimate finale is gripping, promising a second installment to come.

Fans of contemporary stories that embrace magic realism will appreciate the blend of modern technology with the age-old belief of magick found in this book. The first in its duology, this novel must build the world upon which both stories will take place. While this is accomplished to some degree in this first novel, there are some elements that feel insufficient as they make way for more of the action to take place. Nevertheless, the pacing is decent overall and the characters themselves are unique in their presentation, which helps them feel more real to the reader. Filled with action and intrigue with limited profanity and chaste romance, this book will appeal to a wide range of young adult readers, and it is an engaging addition to library collections for this age group.

The characters didn’t get a whole lot of development and their actions and thoughts felt really rushed; as did the plot. We got little to no explanation of what moonstruck was and no understanding until later in the book with a rushed explanation. I wanted so much more from the characters as well and wish Lee and Wren had more time to actually deal with the weird tension that they had the entire book. I also wish we had more interaction with the Dean to establish why he was creepy and why Celeste was the unquestioned leader of the council. Celeste gave off obvious villain vibes the entire book.

I was disappointed. My first 2 star read of the year and from them and I wish I liked their book.

I too would be curious to see a large, ornate fountain dosed with dish soap. But I’ll have to pass on the high school graduates acting like tweens.

This could’ve been a moon magicky summer camp romp in the vein of Percy Jackson. Kids show up at the mystical moon isle and get sorted by their moon signs (aka powers), oh no, what’s this, Wren doesn’t know hers and feels like a misfit? She feels estranged from her bff because he’s got an in with the cool kids? *shocked Pikachu*

With younger characters, or an aged up writing style, this could be fun. I liked the personification of the moon - it became something of a knowing entity not just a source of power, and each of the moonstruck forms a unique, spiritual connection. Also have to appreciate the Pride & Prejudice references (BBC version, tyvm) and the supportive friendships.

(Aside - I keep mixing up PC Cast with CS Pascat, and I know they’re not the same, lol.)

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC**

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

I have a lot of notes on this book and could probably write a small essay regarding my opinions on it, but I shall try to be brief.

WHAT I LIKED:
-There were some really good bits of description.
-I appreciated the implied autism rep.
-I appreciated the casual queer rep.
-I love the idea of someone’s special ability being to amplify others' magick.

WHAT I DISLIKED:
-The autism rep was only implied, never confirmed, and the queer rep was so casual that the queer characters were barely present and had no direct impact on the plot.
-Ruby throws random Japanese into their dialogue, bows in greeting, wishes they could be a Shogun, and is the martially skilled character. In other words, a very shallow, bordering on offensive stereotype of Japanese people.
-The very first thing we learn about Lee is that he’s more likely to be arrested than Wren because he's black. This is an offhand comment of no consequence.
-Lee also comes from a wealthy black family that is so powerful that they basically decide who becomes president and have done so for generations. But institutionalized racism is still a huge problem?
-The plot is largely nonexistent and relies on characters never taking initiative/showing any agency or just being colossaly stupid.
-The romance subplot was super rushed and felt underdeveloped. The blip of conflict that existed in the middle of the story just left Lee looking like an incel douche who iced out his supposed best friend the second he thought she didn't want to date him.
-Characters felt much younger than 18